


Always There for You: The Special Chapters and other stuff

by KyoshiWarrior1997



Series: Always There for You [2]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: AU real world, Baby Ezra, Daddy Kanan, Gen, Mom Depa, New York City, Single Parenting, Young Kanan, nypd, other stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2019-07-17 08:15:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16091651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyoshiWarrior1997/pseuds/KyoshiWarrior1997
Summary: Small stories with a deeper look on Kanan's life as he adapts to his new life being a father. It will also contain young Kanan's life and Depa's and how they adapted to their new lives. Part of my AU: "Always There for You."





	1. Special Chapter 1.0

**Special Chapter**

* * *

 

_Takes place in chapter 2, Ezra's first night at Kanan's place..._

After making sure Ezra was asleep, Kanan finished putting the groceries in the cupboards and in the fridge. After that, he went to his room and got changed in his night clothes. _Taking care of a baby can’t be hard, right?_ He thought and fell asleep.

Around three o’clock in the morning, he heard someone crying; he thought he was hearing things until the memories of the case came flooding into his mind and got up like a spring and went to check Ezra. “It’s okay, bud. Everything is okay.” He said lifting the little boy in his arms.

“Are you hungry or do you need a diaper change?” He asked.

“Let’s see your diaper first, okay?” He placed Ezra in the changing table and checked the diaper, when Kanan saw Ezra’s diaper was dry and clean, he took him downstairs to prepare him a bottle of milk. “I guess this will be a long week.” He said and indeed it was a long week as a foster parent.

* * *

_Takes place between chapters 6 and 7..._

“There, all done.” Kanan said after adjusting Ezra’s seatbelt. “Are you ready to meet the place where daddy works?” He asked, the little boy only gave a smile.

Once they arrived at the station’s parking lot, Kanan took Ezra’s car seat and diaper bag and walked into the station. “Hey Kanan.” An officer said.

“Hey.”

“Hi Ezra.”

The baby boy smiled at all the attention he was receiving from the officers and detectives. “Now, this is daddy’s desk.” The young detective said as he placed the car seat on the desk.

“You know he’s not going to answer you, right?” Zeb asked from his desk.

Kanan rolled his eyes. “Don’t listen to your uncle Zeb, I know you understand me.” He said and Ezra giggled.

“What is the kid doing here, anyway?” Zeb asked.

“Mrs. Andrews and her husband went to visit their children and grandchildren, so I asked Riker if it was okay to bring him and he said yes.” Kanan answered.

“Aahh.” Ezra babbled and started to fuss when his dad didn’t pay him attention.

“Oh…sorry Ez. Daddy’s here, I’m here.” He said and unbuckled Ezra from the car seat and held him closer to his chest.

* * *

 

An hour later, Kanan was spending some free time with Ezra in the breakroom. “Ba.” The baby boy babbled and Kanan chuckled.

“You’re having fun, huh?” He asked while the little boy suckled his hand and smiled at his father.

The young detective chuckled and stood Ezra on his lap. “You are a beautiful boy.”

“Uh…Kanan?” Zeb asked from the doorway.

“Yeah?”

“Riker wants to see you.”

“Can you take care of Ezra while I talk with Riker?” The young detective asked.

“Uh…sure.” Zeb said unsure.

Kanan passed Ezra to Zeb and left. “Uh…hi kid.” The older detective said to the baby boy and he smiled in return. Zeb smirked and sat the little boy on his lap. “How’s Kanan as a dad?” He asked and Ezra clapped his hands and Zeb chuckled.

A couple of minutes later, Zeb placed Ezra in his car seat when he saw the baby boy trying to keep his eyes open, but as soon as Zeb left him in the car seat, Ezra started to fuss.

“Oh, no! What did I do?” Zeb asked freaking out, and then Ezra started to cry. “Hey kid, calm down, please?”

 _Kanan is going to kill me._ He thought and took Ezra in his arms and started rocking him until he was fast asleep. The older detective sighed in relief when he heard a chuckle and turned around seeing Kanan leaning on the doorway. “You’re pretty good with kids.” The young detective said.

“How long you were there?”

“Long enough.”

“And you didn’t do anything?”

“He calmed down as soon as you started to rock him, so I wanted to see how you dealt with it.”

Zeb raised an eyebrow and sighed. “I thought the kid didn’t like me.” He answered.

Kanan smiled. “When he doesn’t like people, he fusses and squirms and starts to cry when he doesn’t see me around, but he calmed down as soon as you took him. He likes you.”

Zeb smiled and looked down at the sleeping baby boy in his arms. “Can I spoil him? You know, since I’m his godfather.”

Kanan smirked. “Leave that job to me.” He said. “You can spoil him when I’m not around.”

Zeb smiled. “Sweet.” Both men heard a knock on the door and turned around.

“Hey, I hate to interrupt, but we have a case.” Kallus said.

“I’ll go.” Zeb answered and handled Ezra to Kanan, but the young detective shook his head. “You stay, I’ll go.”

Zeb eyes went wide. “What?” He asked confused. “What if the kid wakes up or is hungry or needs a diaper change?” He asked.

Kanan rolled his eyes and smirked. “There are three clean bottles in his diaper bag, along with the formula and some mashed fruit and vegetables he’s starting to eat. The kettle is over there; just make sure the water is not too hot or too cold. The diapers are also in the diaper bag as well as the wet wipes and the baby powder.”

Zeb nodded and left. The rest of the afternoon, Zeb and Ezra bonded. The older detective was glad to have an extended family.


	2. Special Chapter 1.5

**Special Chapter 1.5**

* * *

  _Takes place between chapters 8 and 9…_

**_Beep, beep, beep…_ **

Kanan sighed and rolled on the bed as the alarm continued to go on. He hit the _on/off_ button and turned off the alarm, the young man opened his eyes and glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand. _5:00 a.m._ It said. He sighed again and got up.

 _‘Time to get ready for work.’_ He thought and got changed into his sportswear and went jogging. Twenty minutes later, Kanan returned to the house and went to check his son. He smiled when he saw the little boy was still asleep in his crib and returned to his room and took a quick shower. After his shower, the detective changed into a suit, a white shirt, a green tie and black shoes. Usually Kanan wore more casual clothes when he went to work but today he had to go to court. The young man went downstairs and prepared his breakfast; an hour later, he heard the baby boy babbling through the baby monitor and went to check him.

“Good morning, bud.” He said.

The baby boy gave him a smile and squealed happily when he saw his daddy. “Ah! Da-ah!” He babbled.

Kanan chuckled and lifted the baby from the crib. “Oh, you’re such a beautiful boy.” He said and put Ezra on the changing table.

Once Ezra had a clean diaper, Kanan put him on a jumpsuit that had elephants on it and then, he took him downstairs and put him on his high-chair. “Wait here, Ez.” The detective said and went to the cupboard, he grabbed a jar of baby food and a spoon.

When the little boy saw the food, he started to babble and squeal excitedly. “Okay, okay. Wait a minute, Ez.” The young man said and sat in front of the high-chair.

He opened the jar and dipped the spoon in the baby food. “Alright, bud. Open big, here comes the spaceship.”

The ten-month old opened his little mouth and Kanan fed him. While the detective was feeding Ezra, the phone rang and he answered it.

“Jarrus.” He said. “Oh, hi Mrs. Andrews.” He frowned. “No, it’s okay Mrs. Andrews, I understand.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Andrews. I’ll tell Riker.” He said. “Okay, see you next week.” He said and hanged up the phone.

“Well bud, it seems you’ll be coming with me to the station.” The detective said and turned around, however, he gasped softly at the sight before him.

Ezra’s face and hands were covered in baby food while the jar and the spoon were on the high-chair and the contents were spilled on the pad of the high-chair. The little boy gave his dad and innocent smile and the detective shook his head and chuckled. Kanan knew that he couldn’t be mad at Ezra for making a mess, he still was a baby and by nature, he was curious.

The young man grabbed the wet wipes and cleaned the baby boy’s face and hands. “You are a very curious baby, you know that?” He said while lifting Ezra from the high-chair.

“Da!” The baby babbled and grabbed his father’s nose.

Kanan chuckled. “C’mon bud, I need to prepare your diaper bag since you’re coming with me to the station.” He said.

About thirty-minutes later, the detective buckled Ezra in the car seat and then, he climbed in the driver’s seat.

* * *

 

Forty-five minutes later, the young man parked his car in the station’s parking lot. He took the car seat and the diaper bag and walked inside.

He placed the car seat on his desk as well as the diaper bag. “Hey, Kanan.” Zeb’s voice said.

“Hey, Zeb.” Kanan answered as he took off his jacket.

“Eh! Ah!” Ezra babbled when he saw the older detective.

“Hey kid.” Zeb said and ruffled Ezra’s hair. “What is he doing here?” He asked.

“Mrs. Andrews had a family emergency.” Kanan said.

“Oh.” Zeb answered.

“Yeah. Do you mind watching him? I’m going to talk with Riker about why I brought my kid when we have to go to court.” Kanan asked.

“Of course not.” Zeb said as he took the car seat and the diaper bag and headed to the break room.

After talking with Riker, Kanan headed to the break room, he walked in and smiled when he saw Zeb playing with Ezra. “Ah!” The little boy babbled and grabbed Zeb’s nose.

Zeb chuckled. “You’re having fun, kid?” He asked and the ten-month old gave him a smile.

“Hey Zeb, where are the reports of the arrest?” Kanan asked, he still needed to go over some notes before the trial.

“They are on the table.” The older detective answered.

“Thanks, Zeb.” The young man answered.

* * *

 

A couple of hours later, Kanan was looking for someone who could keep an eye on Ezra while he and Zeb went to court.

“Kallus!” He said when he saw the sergeant.

“Jarrus, what are you doing here? You shouldn’t be in court?” Kallus asked.

“Yeah, I was on my way but I need you to do me a favor.” The young detective said.

“What kind of favor?” Kallus asked curious.

“Can you take care of Ezra while Zeb and I go to court?” Kanan asked.

Kallus eyes widen in surprise. “You brought your kid?” He asked.

“Yeah, his babysitter had a family emergency.” Kanan answered. “Please Kallus, just for today.” He pleaded.

The sergeant sighed. “Alright, I’ll take care of him.” He answered.

Kanan smiled. “Thanks Kallus.”

“You’re welcome. Where’s the kid by the way?” He asked.

“He’s in the breakroom taking his nap and his diaper bag is also there.” The detective said as he put on his jacket. “Thanks again, Kallus. I owe you one.” He said and left the station.

Kallus sighed and walked to the breakroom; he looked inside and saw the raven-haired boy asleep in his car seat. The sergeant took a deep breath and went for some overdue reports he needed to finish and returned to the breakroom.

* * *

 

An hour later, Kallus was still writing his reports when he heard a coo; he turned his head to the right and saw Ezra staring at him.

“Um…hi kid.” Kallus said and the little boy cooed softly.

“You probably are wondering where your dad is, right?” He asked and Ezra just stared at him. “Don’t worry; your dad will be here later.” He said.

“Da! Ah!” The baby boy babbled happily.

The sergeant felt a small smile on the corner of his mouth and continued writing his inform. However, when Ezra noticed Kallus wasn’t paying attention to him, he started to fuss.

“What is it, kid?” Kallus asked when he heard the baby fussing. “Do you need a diaper change?” He asked and lifted the baby in his arms.

Ezra stopped fussing and gave Kallus a big smile. The sergeant sighed when he understood Ezra’s plan. “Now I understand why you have Jarrus wrapped around your finger.” He said and the baby boy babbled.

“Ah! Ba! Da!” The baby grabbed Kallus nose and smiled.

Kallus smiled and shook his head gently. He decided to stop writing and decided to spend his time with the raven-haired boy.

A couple of hours later, Kallus was drinking a cup of coffee while keeping an eye on Ezra; the little boy was playing with some blocks and he giggled and started to gnaw the block he had on his tiny hand.

The ten-month old baby turned his head to where Kallus was sitting and crawled towards him. Ezra grabbed the couch’s leg and slowly but surely, the baby boy stood up on his tiny toes.

“Good job, kid.” The sergeant said and earned a smile from Ezra.

“Ah!” The baby babbled and extended his hand trying to give Kallus the orange block he was holding.

“What is it, kid?” Kallus asked and grabbed the block.

“Ba!” The little boy babbled and smiled brightly.

Kallus chuckled and sipped his coffee. He heard footsteps and Ezra turned his head to the door of the breakroom, his eyes lit up when he saw the person standing at the doorway.

The baby boy let go the edge of the couch and stumbled backwards, he fell on his bottom but he seemed not to be bother by this and crawled towards the person who had entered into the room. Kallus looked up and saw Kanan smiling as Ezra crawled towards him.

“Hey there, baby boy!” Kanan said and knelt to meet the little boy.

When Ezra was a few steps away from his father, he got up and took shaky steps towards the young man. The detective smiled proudly at his son; the baby lost his balance on his final steps and fell forward, fortunately, Kanan caught him and cradled him into his chest.

“That was amazing, bud!” He said with proud in his voice.

The baby smiled. “Ah! Da!” He babbled and tried to pull Kanan’s goatee.

The young man smiled and kissed him on top of his head, then he looked at Kallus. “I hope he wasn’t too much trouble.” He said.

Kallus shook his head. “He was fine.” He said and picked up his folders. However, as he left the breakroom, Ezra whined and squirmed in Kanan’s arms.

“What is it, bud?” Kanan asked.

“Ah! Ba!” The baby boy babbled and reached out to Kallus.

“Kallus, wait.” The young detective said and the sergeant stopped near the doorway and turned around.

“What is it?” Kallus asked confused.

“Ezra wants to say goodbye to you.” The detective said smiling.

Kallus walked up to where father and son where and Kanan passed him the little boy. “Well, kid. It was a pleasure to take care of you.” He said.

The baby laughed and grabbed Kallus’ nose, the sergeant laughed softly and gave the young father the little boy back.

“Hey Kallus, do you want to come to my house this weekend and watch the game?” Kanan asked. “Zeb and Obi-Wan will be there.” He said.

“Umm…I don’t know Jarrus. I have things to do.” The older man answered. Kallus wasn’t used to have time for him or even relax, he always was busy with police work.

“Well, if you change your mind, the game will start at three o’clock.” Kanan said.

“Thank you.” Kallus said and left the breakroom.

* * *

 

**_Sunday afternoon…_ **

“Coming!” Kanan said when he heard the doorbell, when he opened the door, he was surprised to see Kallus.

“Kallus…hey!” The detective said. “What are you doing here?” He asked.

“If I remember well, you invited me to watch the game.” Kallus said.

“I thought you said you had things to do.” Kanan said confused.

“I decided to postpone them.” The sergeant said.

“Well, then. Come in.” The young man said and the sergeant walked into the house.

“I brought some snacks and something to drink.” Kallus said and showed him a bag of chips and a six-pack of beer.

“Thanks.” Kanan said. “Zeb and Obi-Wan are in the backyard.” He said.

“Thank you.” Kallus said, he heard something rolling through the ground and saw Ezra coming towards him in a baby-walker.

“Hey, kid.” Kallus said when he saw the baby boy.

“Ah! Ba!” Ezra said and gave him a smile.

The sergeant smiled and went to the backyard; the little boy followed Kallus until he was stopped by a safe-door at the entrance of the kitchen. Ezra moaned and started to fuss. Kanan came and lifted his baby boy from the walker. “Shh…everything is okay, bud.” The detective said.

The ten-month old calmed down and the detective smiled. “You did well today, Ez.” Kanan said and kissed him on top of his raven hair and the baby giggled.

They walked out to the backyard where the other detectives were talking.

“Zeb, can you keep an eye on him while I finish preparing the food?” The young man asked.

“Sure.” Zeb said and took the little boy in his arms.

“Hey, smiley face.” Zeb said.

The baby smiled. “Eh!” He babbled.

The older detective smiled and changed his hold on Ezra, so the baby was more comfortable. “What do you say, kid? Do you think the Giants are going to win?” He asked.

Ezra just stared at his uncle, he didn’t know who were or what the Giants was and he didn’t know why all his Uncles were here but he loved the attention he was receiving from them.

“Zeb, he’s a baby.” Obi-Wan said. “He doesn’t know what you are talking about.” He said.

The detective shrugged. “Eh, the Giants will be his favorite team, you’ll see.” He said.

“Don’t you think he’s still too young to know about football?” Kallus asked.

“You’re never too young to start with football.” Zeb said.

Kanan came out just in time. “Zeb…we already talked about it. Ezra will be a baseball player or a basketball player.” He said.

Zeb rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” He said.

* * *

 

After a small barbecue, the grown-ups were in the TV room watching the game. Ezra was in his playpen and everytime the grown-ups cheered, the baby boy shouted to copy the sound. However, when the game was in the second quarter, the little boy started to fuss but no one payed him attention and started to cry.

“Oh, what’s wrong bud?” Kanan asked when he saw his son crying and lifted him from the playpen.

“Shh, shh. Daddy’s here, daddy’s here.” He said as he rubbed Ezra’s back gently.

The ten-month old calmed down but he didn’t want to let go his dad. Kanan just smiled and kissed him on the forehead.

“I’ll be back.” Kanan said and left the room, he returned ten minutes later.

“How’s Ezra?” Obi-Wan asked.

“He’s fine. I put him down for a nap.” The young detective answered.

An hour and half later, the game was over – the Giants won – and the three men were saying goodbye to Kanan.

“Thanks for inviting us, man.” Zeb said.

“You’re welcome.” Kanan said.

“Thank you, Kanan.” Obi-Wan said.

“You’re welcome.” The young detective answered.

“Thank you for inviting me, Kanan.” Kallus said.

“I’m glad you came, Kallus.” The detective said. “And I also think you’re one of Ezra’s favorite uncles.” He said.

Kallus was shocked when he heard this. “You think?” He asked.

Kanan nodded. “Yep.” He said.

The sergeant smiled softly. “He’s a special kid. You’re doing a great job.” He said.

“Thanks.” Kanan said.

Kallus shook hands with the young detective and left the house. Maybe having an extended family wasn’t so bad.


	3. Special Chapter 2.0

**Special Chapter 2.0**

* * *

 

**_Takes place between chapter 4 and 5…_ **

It was around two o’clock in the morning and everything was quiet until a small cry broke the peaceful atmosphere. A few seconds later, someone walked into the room and turned on the lights.

“It’s okay, baby.” The man said. “Daddy’s here.” The young man said and lifted the baby in his arms.

The baby continued crying. “Shh, everything’s okay, bud.” Kanan cooed and rubbed Ezra’s back. The baby boy calmed down a little but gripped Kanan’s nightshirt with his tiny hand. The young father smiled and took his son to the kitchen to prepare a bottle of milk.

It had been a couple days since the adoption trial and Kanan knew they were having troubles to get used to Kanan’s established routine. This meant Ezra woke up almost every night at midnight wanting to be held or hungry and Kanan had to get up to attend his son; the detective wasn’t used to this kind of routine and ended up pretty exhausted. The good thing was that Riker had given him a couple of weeks off while he adjusted to his new life.

Kanan returned to his room holding the little boy in one arm and the bottle in the other. He sat on the bed and adjusted the six-month old baby in his arms.

“Here you go, bud.” The detective said and gave the baby boy his bottle, he smiled when he saw Ezra drinking his milk and grabbing the bottle; when half of the milk was gone, the baby started to close his eyes and his suckling became slower.

Kanan smiled at the sight and waited until Ezra stopped suckling. The young man took the bottle away from the baby’s mouth and smiled when Ezra didn’t protest. He put the almost empty bottle aside and moved the baby to his shoulder and patted his back until he burped. Kanan got up slowly from the bed and walked to Ezra’s room, he made his way to the travel cot Child Services had given him and laid down carefully the little boy inside and kissed him softly on the forehead.

“Sweet dreams, baby boy.” He said and left the room.

* * *

 

Kanan woke up around nine o’clock next morning. He got up from bed and went to check his son, he walked quietly into the room and smiled when he saw Ezra sleeping peacefully. The young man ran a hand through Ezra’s hair and looked around the room that he had decided to Ezra’s room.

He sighed when he saw the grey walls and realized he needed to decorate the room so it would look more like a baby’s room, he looked around and realized he also needed to buy baby’s furniture so Ezra could have a real crib and changing table. He sighed and went downstairs to prepare breakfast.

An hour later, the young detective heard his son crying through the baby monitor and went to check him.

“Oh, what’s wrong, bud?” Kanan asked and picked the little boy up.

The baby calmed down a little and looked up at his father. Kanan smiled and kissed him softly on the forehead, when he looked at his son again, the baby was smiling.

“Good morning, bud.” Kanan said.

“Ah!” Ezra babbled and grabbed Kanan’s nose.

The young man chuckled and laid Ezra down on the changing mat and changed his diaper, then he went to wash his hands and after that, he took Ezra downstairs.

After having breakfast, Kanan prepared Ezra’s diaper bag and buckled the little boy in the car seat, then he climbed into the driver’s seat and headed to the Home Depot.

When they arrived, Kanan unbuckled Ezra and strapped him in the worn baby carrier and took the diaper bag and walked to the store.

 _‘Damn, I need to buy a new baby carrier.’_ The detective thought.

“Good afternoon.” An employee said. “Can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m looking for some paint, I’m going to decorate my son’s bedroom.” Kanan answered.

“Do you have a specific color in mind?” The employee asked.

“I was thinking in white, blue and maybe yellow.” The young man answered.

“Okay, please follow me.” The employee said and they walked to the paint section.

An hour later, Kanan left the store with two liters of blue, white and yellow paint, paint rollers, plastic tarpaulins and children’s border.

“Okay, bud.” Kanan said as he buckled Ezra in his car seat. “We already have the paint to decorate your room. Now, we need to go for the furniture of your room.” He said.

Ezra stared at his father while sucking his hand and Kanan understood it was time for lunch.

“Alright, we will go to buy the baby furniture after lunch.” The young man said. “Sounds good?”

The baby smiled with his right hand still in his mouth and grabbed Kanan’s nose with the other.

Kanan chuckled and headed to a near cafeteria. After having lunch, the young man parked in front of a store called “Baby World.”

He climbed down from the car and opened the passenger’s door and put on the worn baby carrier Child Services had given him. _‘At least the baby carrier is clean.’_  The young man thought and sighed.

Ezra, on the other hand, started to fall asleep and rested his head against Kanan’s chest. The young man smiled and kissed him on top of his raven-hair.

Kanan walked into the store and started to look for the things he needed for Ezra’s room.

“Alright, I need to buy a crib, a _real_ crib, a changing table, a high-chair, a new baby carrier, a new diaper bag and… *sigh* I don’t know what else a baby needs.” He said.

“Hello, can I help you?” An employee asked.

“Oh, yes. I’m going to buy some baby furniture for my son but I don’t know what else does a baby needs.” The young detective said.

“How old is your baby?” The employee asked.

“Six months.” The young man answered.

“And you are a single parent?” The employee asked.

“Yes.” Kanan said.

“Okay, please follow me.” The employee said and Kanan followed her.

Once Kanan had the furniture, he went to the section of baby clothes and supplies. While he walked through the hallway of the toys, Ezra fussed and squirmed in the baby carrier.

“Ah!” The baby boy babbled.

“What is it, bud?” Kanan asked.

Ezra tried to reach for a blue rattle that had three plastic keys. “Ah!”

Kanan saw what Ezra was trying to do and grabbed the toy. “You want this?” He asked.

The baby grabbed the rattle and started to shake it.

“Okay, we will buy it.” Kanan said and continued shopping.

* * *

 

Around five, Kanan left the store with a shopping cart filled with baby clothes, supplies, a new diaper bag, a baby carrier and some blankets. An employee helped him with another shopping cart that had the furniture in it.

Once all the things were inside the Ford Explorer, Kanan buckled the baby boy in his car seat, he smiled when he saw the six-month old shaking the blue rattle.

“You really love that toy, don’t you?” The young man asked.

“Ah!” Ezra babbled and Kanan chuckled, then he gave him a kiss on the forehead.

When Kanan closed the passenger’s door, he looked up and frowned when he saw the grey clouds over New York City and the other boroughs.

 _‘We better go back to the house’_ Kanan thought and climbed on the driver’s seat.

Forty minutes later, Kanan parked his car and got out from it, he took the car seat out from the car and walked into the house.

“Da?” Ezra babbled.

“It’s okay, Ez. I just need to bring the things I bought into the house before it starts to rain.” Kanan said as he placed the car seat on the coffee table of the living room.

The first things Kanan went for were the plastic bags that had baby clothes, toys and supplies; then he brought one by one the furniture and the things he had bought at the Home Depot.

When the only box left in the trunk of his Ford Explorer was the crib, he went for it but before he could close the trunk, it started to rain.

“Damn!” Kanan said and closed the trunk and carried the box to the house.

The young man sighed in relief when he was under the porch of his house. He noticed it had started to rain harder and went inside the house. Then, a lighting crossed the sky and a few seconds later, there was a big rumble and the lights went off.

Ezra started to cry because the thunder had scared him and he wanted his daddy but couldn’t see him anywhere.

Kanan walked into the room and made his way towards the coffee table, he was glad there were still a little bit of natural light because it guided him to where Ezra was.

“It’s okay, baby. I’m here.” He said and unbuckled Ezra.

“Shh, shh. It’s okay, bud. Daddy’s here.”  The young man said and lifted the baby boy from the car seat and cradled him in his arms.

“Shh, everything’s okay.” He cooed and rubbed Ezra’s back.

The baby continued crying and gripped Kanan’s sweater with his tiny hands. The young man smiled softly and hummed a tone for kids.

Ezra calmed down and looked up. The detective smiled and kissed him softly on the forehead.

“That’s right, bud. Everything will be okay.” Kanan said. “It’s just rain, bud. It will not hurt you.”

Ezra looked at his dad with tear in the corner of his eyes and a small pout like asking: “You promise?”

The young man smiled and kissed him softly on the forehead again. “I’ll promise to keep you safe, Ez. Always and forever.” He said.

The baby smiled softly, then, something occurred to Kanan so Ezra could finally meet the rain.

“C’mon, bud.” The detective said and he took Ezra outside.

“Look, bud. This is the rain.” Kanan said as they stood under the porch and started at the rain that was falling.”

“Ba?” The baby boy babbled and pointed at the rain.

“Yup, that’s rain.” Kanan said and extended his hand. Some raindrops fell on his hand and he showed his son the small puddle of water in his hand.

The six-month old giggled when he splashed the puddle in Kanan’s hand. The young father just smiled softly.

The next day, Kanan had moved Ezra’s traveling cot and his changing mat to his room while he decorated his son’s room, he also didn’t want his son to breathe the paint fumes.

“Okay, bud. You’ll be staying here until your room is ready, okay?” The detective said.

Ezra just stared at his father while sucking his blue pacifier and the young man just smiled.

The young man spent the rest of the day painting Ezra’s room while also monitoring his son through the baby monitor. He smiled when he heard Ezra babbling and imagined that the baby boy was having his own special conversation with his stuffed tiger, Tommy.

“That sounds interesting, bud.” He said and his smile widen when he heard his baby boy laughing.

* * *

 

A few days later, Kanan had almost finished decorating Ezra’s room and the only thing left was to assemble the crib before he could move Ezra back to the room.

The young man stepped out from his bathroom dressed in his nightclothes and smiled softly when he saw his son lying down on his stomach and babbling happily.

“You’re a happy baby, you know that?” Kanan asked.

Ezra just gave his daddy a toothless smile and giggled.

The young detective chuckled and lifted him from the traveling cot. “C’mon, let’s go downstairs and have dinner.” He said.

After having dinner and changing Ezra into a clean diaper and a fresh onesie, Kanan laid his son in the traveling cot and ran his hand through the baby boy’s raven hair.

The six-month old gave him a tiny yawn and drifted off to sleep, the young father smiled and leaned down to kiss Ezra on the forehead.

“Sweet dreams, Ez.” He said.

Kanan woke up when a beam of light illuminated his room, he got up from the bed and walked to the nearest window and looked outside. He could see it was raining very hard and that there was also an electric storm.

The young man sighed and returned to bed, he really hoped that the storm wouldn’t wake Ezra up but he was wrong when a thunder rumbled very strong and woke Ezra up. The baby started to cry and Kanan walked to the traveling cot that was at the foot of the bed and lifted the baby up.

“Shh, shh. It’s okay, buddy.” Kanan cooed. “Daddy’s here.” He said.

The six-month old gripped Kanan’s nightshirt and hid his face in the crook of Kanan’s neck.

“Shh, it’s okay baby.” The young man said and kissed the side of Ezra’s head. “It was just a thunder and it can’t hurt you.”

The baby calmed down and sobbed softly, Kanan kissed his son’s head again and rocked him softly. Five minutes later, the baby boy was fats asleep and the young man decided that Ezra would slept with him.

He sat on the bed carefully and laid Ezra down, he moved the pillows so the baby would be protected in case he rolled over during the nights and then, the young detective laid down and pulled the blankest over them.

By the end of the week, Kanan finished decorating Ezra’s room and moved the baby back to the room, he smiled when he heard the baby boy babbling happily.

“Do you like your room, bud?” The young man asked.

“Da!” The baby boy babbled happily.

The young father chuckled and ruffled his son’s hair; he really loved his new life as a father and he wouldn’t trade it for anything.


	4. Welcome to New York

**Special Chapter: Welcome to New York.**

New York is well-known for having the best Police Department in the country as well as the best crime lab in the country and every year, many cadets send their requests to be accepted in the crime lab or in the NYPD and only a few do it.

* * *

 

_January 26 th, 2000._

A young woman in her early twenties with fair skin, long light brown hair with green emerald eyes and sighed happily as she finished packing her last set of clothes and closed her suitcase. She looked around her room one last time and went downstairs where her father was waiting.

“You have everything?” A man in his mid-fifties with fair skin, red hair and hazel eyes asked.

“Yes.” The young woman answered.

Her father nodded and took her suitcase to the Jeep. She said goodbye to her Uncle and her cousin and climbed in the Jeep. They arrived at Minneapolis - Saint Paul International Airport an hour later, after she documented her luggage, the young man and her father went through the security check-point and waited for her flight.

“Father?” She asked.

“Yes?”

“I just wanted to thank you for supporting my decision to move to New York City.” She answered.

“You are welcome, Hera.” He said.

The young woman now identified as Hera, smiled.

 _“Passengers of flight 780 of Sun Country Airlines bound to JFK International Airport please address gate H-9.”_ The announcer said.

“Well, that’s my flight.” Hera said and grabbed her bag.

“Call me when you land.” The man said.

“I will, father.” She said and hugged him.

“Be careful.” He said. “I’ll be there in a few weeks to see how you are doing.”

She broke the hug and nodded, then, she walked to the boarding gate.

The older man sighed as he saw his daughter boarding the plane, since the day she told him she wanted to be a criminalist, the man disagreed completely with her choice of career but he knew his daughter was stubborn like him and determined just like her mother, so he knew he would never change her mind.

The day Hera graduated from College, he felt very proud of her, especially because she was the best of her class. A few weeks after her graduation, she started to look for a job in a crime lab, her father, of course, tried to persuade her to join the army, so she could get a job in Washington D.C. but he didn’t know she already had job offers from Las Vegas crime lab, Miami crime lab, New Orleans crime lab and the New York crime lab.

She told her father about the job offers but he kept insisting she should join the army, however, Hera didn’t like her father’s plans for her and sent her curriculum to the New York crime lab director.

A month later, she received a letter from the crime lab saying they were amazed by her skills and her attention to small details, the letter also said she had been accepted to work in the New York crime lab. She told her father about the letter and that she already had the job; they had a small discussion about it but in the end, he knew she would never change her mind.

His thoughts were broken when he saw the plane taxing the runway; he stood there looking through the window of the airport until the plane took off and disappeared into the sky. He sighed again and hoped his daughter hadn’t made a bad decision.

* * *

 

 _“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking, we are on our final approach to JFK International Airport. If this is your first time visiting New York, you can see the Liberty Statue on your right.”_ The captain said through the speakers.

Hera looked through the window and smiled when she saw the Liberty Statue and the Hudson River, once the plane landed and she picked up her luggage, she took a cab that took her to the hotel where she would be staying until she found an apartment near the crime lab.

A few days later, Hera had found a nice apartment that was in Chelsea. It wasn’t big or small, it had two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and living room; the young woman was surprised to find an apartment like that and its rent wasn’t so expensive, so she decided to sign the leasing contract the same day she went to see the apartment. Since the only things Hera brought with her were her clothes and most of the apartment was furnished (though she would have to buy furniture for the guest room), she was officially installed in the apartment in a week.

Later, that week, she received a call from the crime lab saying that her papers were in order and that she would start working next Monday, she thanked them and decided to enjoy the last free days she had.

On her last free days, she took the opportunity to do several things and in the afternoon, she went to buy some groceries (the first thing she looked for when she moved into the apartment was a supermarket that was near her apartment building), she was in the canned food section looking for some canned soup when she saw a can of tomato rolling on the ground. She frowned lightly and looked up, she saw a little boy no older than two years-old with tan-copper skin, raven hair and royal blue eyes wobbling behind the can. The can stopped at her feet and she picked it up, the little boy also had stopped and was standing in front of her shopping cart.

“Is this yours, sweetheart?” She asked in a kind voice.

The little boy nodded shyly.

She smiled softly and extended her arm. “Take it.” She said referring to the can in her hand.

The raven-haired boy extended his hands and grabbed the can. “Fank ‘ou.” He said softly.

Hera’s smile widen but she was also a little confused to see a little boy alone. Where were his parents? Was he lost? She was going to ask him about his parents when she heard the voice of a man.

“Ezra!?” The voice asked, then, she saw a man in his mid-twenties with tan skin, dark brown hair and a small goatee wearing a brown jacket with a green sweater under it, gray jeans and black boots walking towards them. The little boy turned around and ran towards the man.

“Where were you bud? You almost scared me to death.” The man said and picked the little boy up. “Thank you.” He said.

“You’re welcome.” She said.

The man smiled at her and left. The little boy waved at her while he hugged his father and Hera waved in return.

“New York is going to be pretty amazing.” She said expecting to see the little boy and his father again.

* * *

 

Two days later, Hera woke up early, took a quick shower and prepared for work. She left her apartment and headed to the subway station of 23rd Street, then, she transferred at Times Square/ 42nd Street station and took the Q line and got off on the 57th Street Station.

She came out from the subway station and smiled when she saw the building where the crime lab was located. After filling a registration form at the front desk of the reception, a police officer escorted her to the floor of the crime lab; when the doors of the lift opened, Hera gasped softly when she saw the big, illuminated and modern crime lab.

The crime lab was very big, it had glass walls that divided the different areas of investigation and the lab also has a good view of Central Park. The officer led her to the office of the crime lab director and knocked on the door.

“Detective Kenobi?” Hera asked as she opened the glass door.

The crime lab looked up from his report. “Miss Syndulla, I’m glad to see you. Please, come in.” He said.

“Thank you.” The young woman said and walked into the office.

“Please, sit.” The older man said. “I’ll be with you as soon as I finish the report.” He said.

“Sure.” Hera said and sat down on a chair in front of Obi-Wan’s desk.

While Obi-Wan finished his report, she looked around the big office, she saw two flags in a corner, one of the flags had blue, white and orange stripes with the seal of New York City in the middle of the flag (New York City’s flag) and the other flag was similar to the USA flag, except this had five alternating white and green stripes and twenty-four stars on a blue field. “New York Police Department’s flag).

The young woman continued looking around and saw a photo of Obi-Wan when he was with the Marines, he was wearing his uniform, next to it, there was another photo of Obi-Wan but there were also two other persons with him, a man with dark blonde hair, blue eyes and a few years younger that Obi-Wan and a woman with red hair, blue eyes and she looked even younger than the blond-haired man (the photo had been taken like twenty years ago).

Obi-Wan finished the report and put the folder away. “Sorry for making you wait.” He said.

“It’s okay.” Hera said.

He smiled softly. “How have you been adapting to the city?” He asked.

“I’m still having trouble to sleep at night. The nights here are very different from the ones in Gorse.” She said.

Obi-Wan chuckled. “Yes, it’s quite difficult to get used to New York nightlife but when you get used to it, you even miss it when you go somewhere else.” He said.

Hera chuckled. “I’m sure.” She said.

“Well, this is your key.” Obi-Wan said showing her a magnetic key that had her photo and ID number. “With this, you can access the crime lab’s floor.”

“Thank you.” She said and grabbed the key.

Obi-Wan smiled. “You’re welcome.” He said. “I just need you to sign some papers, then you will have to go to the 12th precinct and pick up your NYPD badge with the Chief of the precinct.” He said.

“But I’m not a police officer.” She said.

“Don’t worry, the badge identifies you as a member of the Police Department.” He said.

“Oh, okay.” She answered.

“Your office is at the end of the hall.” He said. “And you will have to wait a year and a half to present the exam to become CSI Level 2.”

“Alright. Thank you, Obi-Wan.” She said and left.

* * *

 

The young woman left the crime lab and headed to the 12th precinct that was located on Ericcsson Place Street, after talking with the Chief and receiving her badge, Hera left the Chief’s office. While she was walking down the hallway, the young woman noticed the raven-haired boy from the supermarket hiding under a desk.

“Hi sweetheart, do you remember me?” She asked.

The little boy smiled and nodded. Hera frowned lightly, a police station wasn’t a place for a little kid, so why he was here?

“Does your daddy works here?” She asked but before the little boy could answer her, she heard a deep voice.

“Ezra?” The voice asked.

The little boy smiled mischievously and hid behind her legs.

She looked up and saw a quite handsome young man in his mid-twenties, dark brown hair, tan skin and teal eyes.

“Hi.” The man said. “Have you seen a little boy with raven hair, big blue eyes and about this height?” He asked.

She looked down at the boy and smiled. “Sorry, but no.” She lied. The little boy giggled and came out.

“Dada!” He said and threw himself at the man.

“Hey!” The young man said as he caught the raven-haired boy.

Yup. Definitely they were the same boy and man from the supermarket.

““Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Kanan Jarrus.” He said. “And this is my son, Ezra.” The little boy smiled and rested his head on his father’s shoulder.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Kanan. I’m Hera Syndulla.” She said shaking hands with the detective.

They talked for a little bit until Ezra interrupted them with a wet diaper, the grown-ups chuckled and Kanan said goodbye to her. Hera just smiled and waved as Ezra did the same, even if she just had met them, she already liked Kanan and Ezra very much.

* * *

 

A few days later, Hera went to her first crime scene and there, she met detective Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios; after a long and stressful week, Hera was glad to have her first day off, she only needed to give Riker the report of the last case the lab had resolved. While she waited for Riker outside his office, she looked around the station and spotted Kanan’s desk, she walked to it and looked at the photos Kanan had on his desk.

The young man had four photos on his desk; one of his grandparents and his mother the day of her high school graduation, a photo of him and Depa when she adopted him, a photo of him and Ezra the day the young man adopted him and a photo of Ezra smiling the first time Kanan took him to the beach. Hera smiled softly and looked up, she saw the detective walking towards his desk.

“Hey Kanan.” The CSI said when she saw the young detective walking to the desk.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” He asked.

“I came to give Riker the report on the last case the lad resolved.” She answered. “And what are you doing here at this hour?”

“Oh…I was checking some old reports. Tomorrow I have to testify in court.” The detective answered.

“And you left Ezra alone?”

“Um…no. He’s asleep in the breakroom.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, there are days when I have to stay here after five, so I call Ezra’s babysitter and she brings him here.” He said while they were walking to the break room.

When they arrived, Hera stayed at the doorway of the breakroom while the young man walked into the room and approached to the couch where the little boy was sleeping. Kanan picked Ezra up very gently and rested Ezra’s head on his shoulder, then, he draped the blanket over the little boy, he took the diaper bag and walked out.

“Well, I need to go before he wakes up.” Kanan said.

“Sure, see you on Friday?” Hera asked.

“Why we don’t have lunch together on Sunday?” He asked.

“Sure.” The young CSI said smiling.

“Good. I live in Rockaway Beach, Queens. 122th street.” He said.

“I’ll be there around midday, sounds good?” She asked smiling.

“Yeah.” Kanan said but Ezra fussed and the detective calmed him down.

“I gotta go. But I’ll see you on Sunday,” He said.

“Sure.” She answered and the detective left.

* * *

 

**_Sunday morning…_ **

Hera woke up early and she spent most of her morning examining the subway map to see which subway line she had to take to go to Rockaway Beach. Before she left her apartment, she received a call from her father and he told her he would be in New York around three o’clock to see how she had been doing, she was surprised by this but told him she would go and picked him up at the airport.

Hera knocked softly on the door when she found Kanan’s house, the door opened and she smiled when she saw father and son.

“Hi.” The detective said when he opened the door.

“Hi Kanan, hi Ezra.” The CSI said.

The little boy waved and both adults smiled. “Come in.” Kanan said.

“Thank you.” Hera said and walked into the house.

Kanan put Ezra down in his playpen and continued cooking. While the detective was finishing lunch, Hera looked the photos that were around the house. She saw a lot of photos of Kanan and Ezra; some had Ezra in a very cute pose and others were photos of father and son.” Hera?” Kanan asked.

“Yes?”

“Lunch is ready.”

After eating lunch, the three of them were in the living room. Kanan and Hera were sitting on the couch and Ezra was playing on the floor. “I hope you don’t get upset about what I’m going to ask you.” She said.

“Go ahead.” He said.

“I see a lot of photos of you and Ezra but I don’t see anyone with his mother.” She said. “Did she died or you…you know and she just left him with you?” She asked.

“No, the second thing didn’t happen. His mother is dead. “He answered. “The truth is that Ezra is my adoptive son, his parents died when he was five months old.”

“Oh, God.” Hera said in shock.

“Yeah, Child Services looked for close relative but they didn’t find anyone and I know how’s to be in the system. I didn’t want that for Ezra, so I adopted him.” He said.

“Did you ever find the killer?” She asked.

Kanan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “No, the case is still open.” He said. Ezra came running and climbed on Kanan’s lap.

“Dada.” The little boy said.

“Hey bud.” The detective said.

“Ezra is a very lucky boy.” Hera said.

“I never thought I could love someone so much like I love Ezra, right bud?” He said. The little boy smiled and leaned on his dad’s chest.

Both adults smiled at the little boy. “I should go.” Hera said getting up.

“Why?” Kanan asked.

“I promised my father to meet him. He’s coming to see how I have been doing.” She answered.

“Oh.” He said, he looked down and saw Ezra getting comfortable. The little boy rubbed his eyes and yawned.

“Besides, I think someone’s ready to take his nap.” She said smiling.

“Yeah, he is.”

“Thank you for inviting me to lunch.”

“You're welcome.”

“See you around?”

“Sure.”

The young CSI smiled warmly and ruffled Ezra’s hair. “Bye Ezra, take care of your daddy, okay?” The little boy gave her a sleepy smile, she chuckled and left the house.

The way to the airport, Hera couldn’t hide the smile on her face, she definitely made a good choice by moving to New York City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Areas of Investigation of a crime lab: DNA, traces, ballistics, toxicology, audio and video.
> 
> If you want to see how the crime lab is, just look up "CSI:NY crime lab"


	5. Second Chances

**Special Chapter: Second Chances….**

**_November 20th, 1982…_ **

Kanan sighed sadly as he walked to his shared room at the orphanage he was currently staying in. He arrived at his room and laid down on his bed, then, he grabbed his teddy bear, “Mr. Furry” and hugged him tightly to his chest and cried softly.

Today it was his birthday, today he was turning seven years old but he wasn’t happy about it, he was sad because it was another year without his mother and another year in the orphanage and moving from foster home to foster home. He didn’t like going to those places, the people there didn’t love him, they only loved the money they received for taking care of him and Kanan wished his mother was with him.

“Kanan?” Mrs. Amanda asked.

“Y-yes?” He asked.

“Officer Depa Billaba came to see you.” The older woman said.

Kanan’s eyes lit up, Officer Depa was nice; she had found him hiding in his closet when he was five and after a strange man had broken into the apartment he and his mother lived in. Kanan never understood why someone wanted to hurt his mother, he only understood his mother couldn’t take care of him anymore and that had been the reason why he had been sent to the orphanage.

Kanan brushed his tears away and fixed his hair, then, he went downstairs and smiled when he saw Depa.

“Hi, Miss Billaba.” He said.

“Hi Caleb.” Depa said. “How are you?” She asked.

“I’m good.” He answered.

“I’m happy to hear that.” She said. “I’m sorry I haven’t come to visit you but I was busy.” She said.

“It’s okay.” He said.

Depa smiled softly. “I also came to tell you that I’m moving to Bozeman. The police there offered me a job there.” She said.

“Oh.” Kanan said sadly. Depa was going to abandon him too. He took a deep breath trying to contain his tears.

“But I can’t leave, not yet.” She said. “I still have something to do.”

“Huh?” Kanan asked confused. “What do you have to do?”

“Take you home with me, honey.” Depa said and Kanan looked at her confused.

“What Miss Billaba is trying to say, Kanan is that she adopted you this morning.” Mrs. Amanda said.

“Really?” Kanan asked with a smile.

Depa nodded. “Yeah, I already signed the papers.” She said.

The little boy smiled and hugged her. “Thank you!” He said.

“You’re welcome, honey.” She said.

“C’mon, Kanan. You have to pack your things.” Mrs. Amanda said.

“Go, I’ll be waiting for you.” Depa said.

“Okay!” Kanan said and ran to his room, he packed the few things he had and grabbed Mr. Furry.

“Guess, what Mr. Furry?” He said to his teddy bear. “Officer Depa is going to adopt us!” He said happily.

“We are now going to live with her.” He said.

Kanan went back to where Depa was waiting and the woman smiled when she saw him with his backpack and his teddy bear ready to go.

“I’m ready.” The boy said.

“Say goodbye to Mrs. Amanda.” Depa said.

“By Mrs. Amanda, thank you for taking care of me.” Kanan said.

“You’re welcome, Kanan.” Mrs. Amanda said. “Take care, okay?” She said and the boy nodded.

“Thank you, Mrs. Amanda.” Depa said and shook hands with the older woman.

* * *

 

Depa opened the door of the hotel room where she was currently staying in and ushered Kanan inside.

“You can put your things on any of the beds, no matter which you choose.” Depa said as Kanan looked around the hotel room.

He saw two beds, a TV, a desk and a chair. “You live here?” He asked.

Depa chuckled. “No, remember when I told you I was busy the past months?” She asked and the boy nodded.

“Well, when I accepted the job the police offered me, I had to sell the apartment I had here.” She said. “So I returned to the farmhouse where I grew up and cleaned it so we could live there.”

“You live in a farmhouse?” Kanan asked, eyes wide.

She smiled. “Yes and tomorrow you’ll be able to see it.” She said.

Kanan smiled widely and Depa ruffled his dark brown hair. Then, she walked to the closet and took some bags out from it.

“I bought you some things since today is your birthday, Caleb.” She said.

“Really?” He asked.

“Mhm. You want to see them?” She asked and the boy nodded.

They sat on one of the beds and she gave him the first bag. They spent the afternoon opening his presents, Depa had given him some clothes since the only thing he had was three pairs of underwear, three pairs of socks, a pajama, jeans and two shirts and sweatshirts.

“You okay, honey?” Depa asked when she saw tears in the corner of Kanan’s eyes.

“Yeah…it’s just…I haven’t had presents in a long time.” He said.

Depa looked at her adopted son sympathetically and hugged him. “I’m so sorry to hear that, sweetheart.” She said.

Kanan just hid his face in her shoulder and cried softly. “Thank you.” He said.

“You’re welcome, Caleb.” She said. “Are you hungry?” She asked after a while.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“Come on. Do you want a hamburger with fries?” Depa asked.

“Yeah!” Kanan said and they left the room.

Later, that night, they were watching a movie on the TV. By the middle of the movie, Kanan was fast asleep and Depa smiled when she saw him cuddling against her side. She got up carefully and picked the boy up.

Kanan stirred softly but Depa calmed him down.

“Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart.” She said.

“Mommy?” Kanan asked sleepy and Depa froze when she heard him.

“Mommy?” He asked again.

Depa shook her head and looked down at the boy. “I’m here, sweetie. Go back to sleep.” She said.

Kanan hummed and rested his head on Depa’s shoulder and fell asleep again, the woman laid him down on the bed and tucked him in, then, she gave him his teddy bear.

“Goodnight, Caleb.” She said and kissed him on the forehead.

* * *

 

The next day and after four hours of flight, Depa and Kanan were finally in Bozeman. They picked up their luggage and walked to the airport’s parking lot.

A man with dark skin, bald and wearing sunglasses were waiting for them next to a pick-up truck.

“Dad.” Depa said when she saw the man and smiled softly. Kanan, on the other hand, was a little nervous when he saw the man and moved closer to Depa.

“Hey.” The man said smiling and hugged her. “I missed you, my little flower.” He said.

“I missed you too, dad.” Depa answered.

“How was your flight?” He asked.

“It was good, thank you.” She said.

The man looked down and smiled when he saw Kanan standing next to Depa. “I’m guessing this is Kanan.” He said.

“Yes, he is.” Depa said and knelt beside Kanan. “Caleb, this is my father, Mace Windu.” She said.

“Hello, young one. It’s nice to finally meet you, Depa has told me a lot about you.” Mace said.

“Hi.” Kanan said shyly.

The grown-ups smiled. “Come on, let’s go to the house.” Mace said.

The drive to Depa’s house was a quiet one. Kanan was a little bit nervous at first, but as Mace drove through the Highway that connected the airport with the town, the little boy started to get fascinated with Montana’s landscape and saw how different it was from Detroit. There were no tall buildings or long bridges, the only thing he could see were miles and miles of golden fields and the mountains.

“Do you like Montana, Caleb?” Depa asked.

“Uh huh, it’s so beautiful!” He said and the grown-ups chuckled.

“Wait until you see the farm.” Mace said.

They arrived at the house and Kanan’s eyes widen when he saw the house. “Is that the house where we are going to live?” He asked.

“Mhm, it is.” Depa said.

They climbed down from the truck and Depa and Mace took the luggage from the rear part of the truck and walked to the front door.

Depa unlocked the front door and they walked into the house. The boy gasped when he saw that the house was way bigger inside and he thought it was more a mansion than a farmhouse.

“Do you want me to give you a tour around the house, Caleb?” Depa asked.

“Yeah!” He said happily.

“Alright, c'mon.” She said

Depa showed him the big living room the house had, the kitchen and a small studio she used as an office, then, she took him upstairs.

“This will be your room, Caleb.” She said and opened the wooden door.

The boy gasped when he saw how big his room was, Depa smiled and ushered him inside. Kanan stood in the middle of the bedroom and looked around taking in everything.

The walls of the bedroom were painted in a dark green color and in the middle of the room there was a big bed and Kanan thought it was the biggest single bed he had ever seen.

“Do you look you room so far, Caleb?” The woman asked.

“Yeah! It’s big!” He answered.

Depa chuckled and ruffled his hair. “I’m glad you like it.” She said and walked to a white door that was on the other side of the room.

“You also have your own bathroom.” She said opening the door. “In case you need to go to the bathroom during the night, you just get up from bed and walked inside. That way you won’t have to cross the hallway in the middle of the night to go to the shared bathroom.”

“Where is your bedroom?” Kanan asked.

“Oh, my room is just across the hallway. First door on your left, honey.” She said. “If you have nightmares, don’t hesitate to call me, okay?” She asked.

“Okay.” Kanan answered.

Depa smiled. “Come on, let’s eat something. I’m sure you’ll like a homemade meal after a long day.” She said and they went downstairs.

Later, that night, Depa tucked Kanan in. The boy had had a long and exciting day, so after having his first homemade meal, a shower with hot water and a new set of pajamas, he passed out on the couch of the living room; Depa smiled softly when she saw him sleeping peacefully and took him to his room.

Once she had tucked him into bed, she kissed him softly on the forehead and left the room, she went downstairs and saw her father sitting on the couch.

“Is he asleep?” Mace asked.

“Yeah, he just had a tiring day.” Depa answered. “So, what do you think of him?” She asked after a few minutes.

“He’s a great kid and what you did for him, was very noble of you.” Mace answered.

“Thank you, dad.” Depa answered. “After what he had been through, I think he needs some stability in his life.” She said.

“Well, you also went through some bad things, dear. I think both of you need a second chance, that kid needs you and you need him.” Mace said.

“I’m not going to let him down.” Depa said.

“That’s my daughter.” Mace said proudly.

* * *

 

_“What are you thinking?” Mace asked as he stood next to his daughter on the porch of the house._

_“I miss being here, dad.” Depa answered. “I was thinking to move back here.” She said._

_“Really? You said you loved the big city.” Mace said a little bit surprised._

_“I do, dad. I still love the city but there are too many painful memories there.” She said._

_It had been almost four months since the funeral of Depa’s husband, a police officer who had died in the line of duty and lately, she found difficult to make her job as police officer in Detroit._

_“Something else is on your mind.” Her father said._

_She sighed. “Yes. About a year and a half ago, I met a little boy whose mother was kill and he had no one who could take care of him, so…I was thinking about adopting him.” She said._

_“You want to adopt a child?” Mace asked._

_“Yes.” Depa answered._

_“Don’t you think is a little bit precipitated?” Mace asked. “I mean, it has been only four months since your husband passed away.” He said._

_“I know, dad but that boy is special.” She said._

_“He doesn't have any one who wants to take care of him.” The man asked._

_“His grandparents live in a nursing home for seniors and his mother was only child.” She said._

_“What about his father?” Mace asked._

_Depa sighed. “Nobody knows who he is. There is no record of him on the birth certificate.” She said._

_Mace stayed deep in thought. “Well, if you’re going to adopt him, I’m going to support you in everything.” He said._

_“Thank you, dad.” She said and hugged him._

_“You’re welcome, dear.” He said._

* * *

 

Depa was reading on her bed when the door of her bedroom opened slowly, she looked up and saw Kanan holding his teddy bear and sniffling softly.

“What’s wrong, Caleb?” She asked.

“I had a bad dream.” The seven-year old boy answered.

She smiled softly at the boy and closed her book, then, she patted the empty side next to her on the bed. “Come here, honey.” She said.

Kanan sniffled and walked to the bed, he climbed on and got under the covers.

“Do you want to tell me about your nightmare?” The woman asked as she ran her hand through Kanan’s brown hair.

“You and I were here in the house but the, you said you had to go and you left and I was all alone again.” He said, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

“Oh, honey. I’ll never do that to you.” Depa said. “There will be days when I will have a lot of work to do but I’m not going to leave you, Caleb.” She said.

“You promise?” He asked.

“I promise.” She said and ruffled his hair, earning a giggle from him. “Do you want to sleep here, tonight?” She asked.

“Yes.” The boy answered and got comfortable, then, he hugged his teddy bear closer to his chest and drifted off to sleep.

“Goodnight, Caleb.” Depa said.

“Night, mommy.” He said sleepy and Depa smiled softly.

A few days passed and Kanan was adapting well to Montana, he even had started to call Mace “Grandpa Mace”, something the war veteran really liked; also, during this time, Kanan started to be more open with Depa and she discovered he still had nightmares about the night his mother was killed and about being abandoned so she decided to assure him that he would never be alone again.

* * *

 

**_Thursday 25 th…_ **

Kanan stirred softly when the sun came through the window, he opened his eyes and looked around. Nope, it wasn’t a dream, he was in his own room in the farmhouse where he now lived with Depa. He got up from bed and went to change into a set fresh of clothes, as Kanan climbed down the stairs, he could smell something delicious from the kitchen and went to see.

He walked into the kitchen and saw a plate with some bread on it and realized the wonderful smell came from the bread, so he walked closer to the kitchen counter and was about to grab a piece of bread when Depa walked in.

“Good morning, Caleb.” She said.

“Morning!” He said innocently.

Depa smiled and ruffled Kanan’s hair, then, she walked to the oven and took out a tray with more bread on it.

“What are you doing?” The boy asked.

“I’m baking some bread for the big meal we are going to have today, Caleb.” Depa answered.

“What big meal?” The boy asked confused.

“Today is Thanksgiving Day, Caleb and this will be also the first Thanksgiving Day you will spend with us.” The woman said.

“Oh, yeah!” Kanan said excited. “Are we gonna eat turkey?” He asked.

Depa nodded. “Yeah, your grandpa will bring it later.” She said.

“Cool!” The boy answered.

“Do you want to help me to prepare the rest of the food?” Depa asked.

“Yeah!” Kanan said.

After having dinner, Kanan fought to keep his eyes opened and spent time with his adoptive mother and his adoptive grandfather but he couldn’t, so Depa took him upstairs and told him to get ready for bed; after brushing his teeth, he climbed on the bed and Depa came to tuck him in.

“Did you enjoy your first Thanksgiving Day, Caleb?” The woman asked as she brought the blankets up to his chin.

“Mhm.” He nodded tiredly. “It was fun.” He said.

“Yes, it was.” Depa said.

“Do you want to know what I am very grateful for?” The boy said.

“Of course, sweetie.” She answered.

“I’m very grateful that you adopted me and that you are my adoptive mother.” He said.

Depa smiled and ran her hand through Kanan’s dark locks. “Thank you, sweetie. Do you want to know what I am very grateful for?” She asked and Kanan nodded sleepy.

“I’m grateful because you are my adoptive son and because you’re the cutest boy I’ve ever met.” She said.

Kanan smiled. “I love you, mommy.” He said as he drifted off to sleep.

“I love you too, son.” She said and kissed his forehead.

“Sweet dreams, Caleb.”


	6. Special Chapter 2.5

**Special Chapter 2.5**

Kanan stood in front of the mirror as he finished dressing up to go to court; he fixed his tie and put his coat on, then, he walked quietly to Ezra’s room. He walked into the room and smiled when he saw his son sleeping peacefully and holding his stuffed tiger close to his chest.

It had been almost a month and a half since Ezra’s kidnapping and the young man had received a citation to testify against the people who had kidnapped Ezra and the other kids and had tried to sell them like if they were objects.

Kanan took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, he hated to think what would have happened if Zeb and the FBI hadn’t arrive on time; Ezra would probably be under Child Services’ custody while he would be fighting to prove he was Ezra’s legal guardian and father. The young man sighed and looked at his wrist-watch. _Time to go._ He thought and got closer to Ezra’s bed.

He ran a hand through the little boy’s dark locks and kissed his cheek.

“I’ll be back later, bud. Love you.” He said and left the room.

He went downstairs and walked into the kitchen. “Hi, mom.” He said.

“Good morning, honey.” Depa said. “Are you ready to go to court?” She asked.

“Yes.” Kanan answered as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “This is the first time I’m going to testify as a civilian.” He said.

“Don’t worry, Caleb. Everything will be fine.” She said.

The young man sighed. “I know.” He said.

* * *

 

Kanan arrived at the courthouse thirty minutes later, after parking his car, he walked into the building and smiled when he saw Zeb and Hera sitting down on a bench and talking.

“Hey guys.” He said.

“Hey, man.” Zeb said and gave him a manly hug and a pat on the back.

“Hey Hera.” The young man said when Zeb released him.

“Hi Kanan.” The CSI said and hugged him. “How are you?” She asked.

“I’m good.” He answered. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I came here to support you.” She answered.

“Thanks.” Kanan said smiling.

“And how’s Ezra?” Zeb asked.

“He’s good. I left him asleep.” Kanan said.

“Depa stayed with him?” The young woman asked.

“Yeah.” The detective answered.

Twenty minutes later, the trial against the three people who had kidnapped the children began. Kanan looked over where the three kidnappers were, then, he looked at the couple that had tried to “adopt” Ezra.

He had a lot of mixed feelings towards the middle-age; on one hand, he felt sad for the couple, they only wanted to have a child since they couldn’t have one of their own but on the other hand, he felt angry. Angry at the couple because they didn’t bother to check if the “agency” was real or not.

The A.D.A. called Zeb to the stand and told the court about the case.

“Detective Orrelios, can you tell us about the case?” The A.D.A asked.

“We received a call telling us there was a man lying unconscious on the ground of a parking lot.” Zeb said.

“And did the man lying on the ground was your partner, detective Jarrus.” The A.D.A asked.

“Yes, when we arrived at the scene, the paramedics were already there. They were attending Kanan, so detective Kenobi and I started to check-out the scene.” Zeb said. “I went to talk with a paramedic when I realized detective Jarrus’ son was missing.”

“The paramedic told me he hadn’t see anyone inside the car.”

“When did you find out the son of detective Jarrus had been kidnapped?” The A.D.A asked.

“Ezra wasn’t in his car seat, Kanan usually first places him on the car seat and then, he buckles him. And even if he’s scared, Ezra always stays close.” Zeb answered.

Zeb continued telling them about the case, when he finished, the A.D.A thanked him and got down from the stand.

* * *

 

Around midday, the court went into recess. Zeb, Kanan and Hera decided to have lunch in one of the cafeterias that were near the courthouse. While they waited for their food, Kanan decided to call Depa.

“Hi, mom.” The detective said when Depa answered.

 _“Hi, honey. How’s the trail going?”_ Depa asked.

“It’s going good so far.” Kanan answered. “I’m going to testify after the recess.” He said.

 _“Everything will be fine, Caleb.”_ Depa said.

“I know, mom.” He said. “Can you put Ezra on the phone, please? I want to hear his voice.” He said.

 _“Sure.”_ Depa said. _“Hey honey, there’s someone who wants to talk with you.”_

 _“Hello?”_ Ezra’s voice asked.

“Hey, bud.” Kanan said smiling when he heard the voice of his son.

 _“Hi, daddy!”_ The little boy said happily. _“’Ou not here when I up.”_ He said sadly.

“I’m sorry, bud. I had to come to court but I’ll see you in the afternoon, okay?” The detective said.

 _“Okay, daddy!”_ Ezra said happily.

Kanan chuckled. “I love you, bud.” He said.

 _“Love ‘ou ‘oo!”_ The little boy said.

Kanan smiled and ended the call, then, he returned to the table where Zeb and Hera were.

“Did you talk with Ezra?” Hera asked.

“Yeah, I did.” Kanan answered.

“How’s he?” The CSI asked.

“He’s good, he’s just sad I wasn’t there when he woke up.” The detective said.

Zeb chuckled. “That kid knows he has you wrapped around his finger.” He said.

“I think it’s cute.” Hera said.

“Well, I’m just going to tell you I love being a dad.” The young detective said.

* * *

 

Once the court was back from recess, the A.D.A called Kanan to the stand.

“Detective Jarrus, can you please tell the court since when you are Ezra’s father?” The A.D.A asked.

“Two years.” Kanan answered.

“Can you tell us how did you adopt him?” The A.D.A asked.

“It was during a case. Detective Orrelios and I answered a call where people had heard gunshots in an apartment, when we arrived, we found the bodies of a woman and a man. While detective Orrelios called and waited for the CSIs to arrive, I stayed back in the apartment when I heard crying coming from one of the rooms and went to check.” Kanan said.

“I looked under the bed and found a box covered with a blue blanket, when I uncovered the box, I found the Bridger’s son crying, so I picked him up and waited until the back-ups and the CSIs arrived.” He said.

“Can you tell us what happened after that?” The A.D.A asked.

“I took the baby to the hospital, so the doctors could check him up. Child Services arrived and I volunteered myself to take care of him while Child Services looked for any close relatives.” Kanan said.

“After two weeks, Child Services called me again and told me they couldn’t find any relatives and that they would put Ezra for adoption. I grew fond of the baby and I know how is to be in the system, so I decided to adopt him.” He said.

Kanan also told the court when Sean Bait – one of the kidnappers – hit him so he could take Ezra and the agony he felt for not knowing anything about his son. Bothe Kanan and Zeb were grateful that neither the A.D.A nor the Defense Attorney had asked about the small outburst the young detective had in the interrogation room when Zeb was interrogating Bait.

The A.D.A thanked Kanan and he got down from the stand. As soon as Kanan sat back on the bench, Hera grabbed his hand and intertwined her fingers with his, Kanan smiled softly at the gesture and the young woman mouthed a “You’re welcome”, then, she took out a photo of Ezra from her purse and gave it to Kanan. The detective smiled at the smiling face of his son the day he had turned two years old.

Five minutes later, the judge was ready to announce the verdict of the three kidnappers. Kanan hold his breath as the judge read all the charges against the kidnappers.

“The State of New York finds, all of you, guilty of kidnapping, child trafficking and attack on an officer.” The judge said and hit his gravel.

Kanan left out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as the court officers took the kidnappers out from the courtroom.

“It’s over.” Zeb said as he patted Kanan’s shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s finally over.” The young man said and looked again at Ezra’s photo.

“I thought he might give you a little strength.” Hera said with a soft smile on her face.

“Thank you.” Kanan said squeezing her hand and then, he gave her back the photo.

* * *

 

The three friends got up and walked out from the courtroom, outside there were three couples waiting for them.

“Mr. Jarrus?” A man in his late thirties asked.

“Yes?” Kanan asked.

“Hi, my name is Allan Johnson and this is my wife, Claire.” He said.

“Nice to meet you.” Kanan said as he shook hands with the couple.

“We just wanted to thank you for what the NYPD and the FBI did to find our children and for your testimony against them.” The woman said.

“You’re welcome.” The young man said.

“What are you doing for that boy is amazing, keep up with the good work.” Mr. Johnson said.

“Thank you.” Kanan said, then, he shook hands with the couple and they left.

“I think you’re going to be a celebrity.” Zeb said jokingly.

Kanan only rolled his eyes; before they could leave the courthouse, the couple that almost “adopted” Ezra, walked up to them.

“Mr. Jarrus?” A man in his late-forties asked.

“Yes?”

“My name is Adrian Ross and this is my wife, Gina.” The man said.

“We just wanted to tell you that we are so sorry for almost take your son away from you.” Mrs. Ross said. “We have been trying to have a child since we got married and when we found out we couldn’t have one by natural or artificial ways, we decided to adopt one.” The woman said.

“The man that contacted us sounded so professional that we believed he was really from an adoption agency. We never thought he and his gang were kidnapping children to sell them in the black market.” Mr. Ross said. “We are really sorry for almost tear your family apart.” He said.

“And we understand if you don’t want to forgive us.” Mrs. Ross said.

“I forgive you.” Kanan said surprising the couple. “And I hope you can have the family you have always wanted.” The young man said.

* * *

 

Kanan returned to the house around five o'clock, he unlocked the door and left his shoes next to the door.

“Hey, honey.” Depa said.

“Hey, mom.” He said and hugged his mother.

“How did everything go?” She asked.

“They found them guilty.” The detective said with a smile on his face.

“Those are good news, Caleb.” Depa said.

“The couple that tried to adopt Ezra talked with me.” He said.

“They told me what happened and I forgave them.” The young man said.

“You did good, Caleb. I'm proud of you.” Depa said with a smile on her face.

“Thanks, mom.” He said. “Where's Ezra?” He asked.

“He's upstairs playing with his toys.” Depa said.

Kanan nodded and went upstairs, he walked quietly to Ezra’s bedroom; he smiled at the sight of his son playing with his toys.

“Hey, bud.” The young man said.

“Daddy!” Ezra said and toddled to his father.

Kanan smiled and picked the two-year old up. “I missed you, bud.” He said.

“Missed ‘ou ‘oo, daddy!” The little boy said and gave his father a big hug.

The detective smiled and kissed Ezra’s cheek. “Let's prepare some hot chocolate and what do you say if we watch a movie?” He asked.

“Yeah!” Ezra said happily and they went downstairs.


	7. Special Chapter 3.0

**Special Chapter 3.0**

“Here you go, bud.” Kanan said as he placed a plate with a grilled-cheese sandwich on it and in front of Ezra.

“Fank ‘ou.” Ezra said.

“You’re welcome, bud.” The detective said and ruffled Ezra’s hair. “You want apple or mango juice?” He asked as he opened the fridge.

“Mango!” The little boy said happily.

Kanan smiled as he took out a carton of mango juice and gave it to Ezra.

“Fank ‘ou, daddy!” The raven-haired boy said.

“You’re welcome, bud.” The young man said as he sat down next to his son and started to eat his chicken sandwich.

“Hey, Kanan. Hey, kid.” Zeb said as he walked into the breakroom.

“Hey, Zeb.” Kanan said.

“’Ebby!” The two-year old said happily.

The older detective smiled and ruffled Ezra’s raven hair.

“How’s your case going?” Kanan asked.

Zeb shrugged. “It’s going good so far. I’m just glad the CSIs documented and examined the crime scene before it starts to rain.” He said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Yeah, I heard there’s a 100% chance of rain accompanied by thunderstorms and hail.” Kanan said.

Zeb groaned. “That means that once it starts to rain, the city will be a total chaos.” He said.

Kanan chuckled. “That’s the reason why I decided to do paperwork instead of being in the field today.” He answered.

Zeb mumbled something under his breath, then, he took out a sandwich from the fridge and sat down with Kanan and Ezra to have lunch with them.

* * *

 

Around five, Kanan left his reports in Riker’s office and went to the breakroom where he had left Ezra.

The young father walked into the breakroom and smiled when he saw Ezra drawing happily.

“Hey, bud. What are you drawing, huh?” Kanan asked.

“’Itty!” Ezra answered.

“It’s a kitty?” The detective asked and the two-year old nodded.

“Choppy!” Ezra said happily.

“It’s Chopper?” Kanan asked,

“Yep. It fo’ Hera.” The little boy answered.

“I’m sure she will love it, bud. You can give her the drawing when we see her this Saturday.” The detective said and ruffled Ezra’s hair.

“Yay!” The little boy clapped his hands.

Kanan chuckled and started to pick up Ezra’s toys. Ten minutes later, Kanan and Ezra were ready to go home.

“Are you ready to home, bud?” The detective asked.

“Yep!” The little boy answered happily.

Kanan smiled. “C’mon. Let’s say goodbye to your Uncle Zeb before we leave.” He said and took Ezra’s hand in his and left the breakroom.

* * *

 

Kanan was driving towards the Williamsburg Bridge when the first raindrops started to fall, he looked in the rear-view mirror and smiled softly when he saw Ezra had fallen asleep and continued driving.

By the time Kanan arrived at Rockaway, it was raining harder and hail began to fall. The detective parked his car on the driveway and decided to wait until the rain abated and they could walk to the house but ten minutes later, the heavy rain continued.

Kanan sighed and ran a hand through his hair trying to find a way to walk to the house without getting soaked on the way.

“Daddy?” Ezra asked sleepy.

Kanan turned his head and smiled. “Hey, bud.” He said and moved to the backseat.

“We home?” The little boy asked.

“Yeah, we already are at the house.” The young man said as he unbuckled his son from the car seat. “Okay, listen bud. It’s raining pretty hard, so we will have to run to the porch of the house, okay?” He asked and his son nodded.

Once Ezra had his raincoat on, Kanan picked him up, then, he draped his coat over his head. He took a deep breath, opened the car’s door and got out.

In those few seconds they were outside, Kanan’s coat got soaked and he could feel the rain going through the fabric of the coat and soaking his sweater and his shirt and he shivered.

“Hold on tight, bud.” The young father said as he tried to cover Ezra from the rain and closed the door knowing he could go back for his briefcase and Ezra’s diaper bag once the rain had stopped.

Just as Kanan was climbing the steps of the porch, a thunder rumbled pretty strong and Ezra flinched and tightened his arms around Kanan’s neck.

“It’s okay, bud. It’s okay.” The young man said. He set Ezra down and unlocked the front door.

He left his coat on the floor and went for a towel for him and Ezra. “Well, it seems we will have to take a bath, son.” He said once he had finished drying Ezra’s hair and took him upstairs.

Kanan set Ezra on his bed and took out a clean set of night clothes, then, he went to Ezra’s bedroom for his son’s pajamas when another thunder rumbled and Ezra got scared.

The little boy climbed down from his father’s bed and ran to his father. “Daddy!” He cried.

“Wha..?” Kanan felt someone wrapping around his legs. He looked down and saw Ezra burying his face in his pants leg.

The detective lifted his son up and rubbed his back trying to calm him down while Ezra buried his face in his father’s neck.

“Shh, it’s okay, bud. I’m here, daddy’s here.” He said.

Then, a lighting crossed the sky and a few seconds later, a thunder rumbled stronger than the last one and the lights went off and Ezra started to cry.

“Shh, it’s okay, bud. It’s okay.” The detective said trying to calm his son down.

Five minutes later, Ezra’s face was still buried in Kanan’s neck and sniffling softly.

“Okay, bud. I have to light up some candles. I need you to wait here.” He said but Ezra tightened his arms around Kanan’s neck.

“No! Daddy ‘tay!” Ezra cried.

“It’s okay, bud. I won’t be long.” Kanan said but Ezra shook his head.

“No! ‘tay!” The raven-haired boy cried again.

Kanan sighed in defeat knowing he would never convince Ezra to let him go, so he took a flashlight from the drawer of his nightstand and went downstairs to light up the candles he needed while keeping Ezra close.

They took a bath and once they had dry and warm pajamas on, they went downstairs to have dinner.

* * *

 

The next morning, Kanan woke up when he felt the sun coming through the window, he opened his eyes and looked down at the two-year old boy that was curled up on his side and was sleeping peacefully.

The young detective smiled softly and ran his hand through Ezra’s hair.

“I love you, bud.” He said and kissed his son softly on the cheek and decided to catch up on more sleep.


	8. Mother's Day

**Special Chapter: Mother’s Day**

It was a beautiful and sunny day of May and a seven-year old boy with dark brown hair, tan skin and turquoise eyes was already awake.

He got up from his bed and walked quietly to his adoptive mother’s room, he peeked inside and smiled when he saw his adoptive mother still asleep, then, he went downstairs.

It had been six months since Depa had adopted Kanan and a lot of things had happened since then, like celebrating his birthday the same day he was adopted and the first Thanksgiving he spent with his new family. But today, it was a very special day, today was Mother’s Day and it was the first Mother’s Day he was going to spend with Depa and he wanted to do something special for her.

He walked into the kitchen and took out the ingredients he needed to prepare pancake mix. He took out eggs, milk and butter from the fridge and flour, baking powder and chocolate chips from a cabinet. The little boy put the ingredients on the kitchen’s counter and took out a mixing bowl and a whisker and started to prepare the mix. Once the mix was ready, the boy poured some of the mix on a pan and started to make pancakes; the first pancake Kanan made was a little bland but the next ones were fluffy and soft just like the ones Depa made.

Satisfied with the results, Kanan cut some fruit and poured some orange juice in a glass and set the table, then, he went upstairs. He walked quietly to Depa’s room and opened the door, he peeked inside and walked into the room. He approached to the bed and shook Depa’s shoulder gently.

“Mommy.” He said.

Depa stirred but didn’t wake up, so Kanan shook her shoulder again.

“Mommy.” He said, this time a little more loud.

Depa stirred again and opened her eyes. “Caleb?” She asked when she saw him standing beside her bed.

“Morning, mommy!” Kanan said happily.

Depa smiled softly. “Good morning, Caleb.” She said and sat up. “What time is it?” She asked.

“It’s almost nine o’clock.” The boy answered.

“What are you doing up so early, honey?” Depa asked. “It’s Sunday.”

“I have a surprise for you!” Kanan said happily.

“Oh? Really?” She asked.

“Mhm.” Kanan nodded. “You have to get up to see your surprise!” He said happily.

“Okay.” Depa said and got up from the bed.

“C’mon, mommy!” The seven-year old said and took Depa’s hand.

She followed him downstairs but before they could walk into the kitchen, Kanan stopped and turned around.

“You need to close your eyes, mommy!” He said.

“Why?” Depa asked.

“So I can give you your surprise.” The boy answered.

“Okay.” Depa answered and closed her eyes.

Kanan took her hand again and led her into the kitchen. They stopped in front of the kitchen table and the boy let go of her hand.

“You can open your eyes now, mommy!” He said.

Depa did as she was told and gasped softly at the sight of the breakfast Kanan had made.

“Happy Mother’s Day!” The boy said with a big smile on his face.

“Oh, wow!” Depa said. “This is amazing, honey! Thank you!” She said and hugged him.

“You’re welcome!” The seven-year old boy said.

The woman smiled and kissed him on top of his head. “C’mon, sweetie. Let’s have breakfast before it gets cold.” She said.

“Yeah!” Kanan said.

* * *

 

After breakfast, mother and son spent the rest of the morning at the farm feeding the animals and taking care of the plants, fruit and vegetables that were growing in their field; after having lunch, Depa showed Kanan how to clean the stables and how to take care and feed the horses.

They were grooming a horse when a young mare sniffled Kanan’s hair and the boy giggled.

“Mommy, I think the horse likes me!” He said.

Depa chuckled when she saw the mare sniffling Kanan’s hair again. “Yeah, I think she does or maybe she wants you to groom her, honey.” She said.

“Really!?” The boy asked excitedly. “Do you want me to groom you?” He asked to the mare.

The mare moved her head like she was nodding. The woman chuckled again and gave Kanan a horse brush.

“Now, remember to brush her gently, Caleb.” She said.

“Okay, mommy!” The boy said and did what Depa had taught him. Once Kanan had finished brushing the mare, he gave her a carrot and petted her gently on the neck.

“Good girl.” Kanan said.

“Good work, Caleb.” Depa said smiling.

“Thank you, mommy!” He said happily.

“You want to walk through the meadow riding on Daisy?” The police officer asked as she took the saddle.

“Yeah!” The seven-year old boy said excitedly.

Depa smiled and prepared Daisy, then, they sat on the saddle and Depa gave Daisy the indication to start walking; they spent the afternoon walking through the meadow and Depa smiled everytime she saw Kanan petting the mare and telling her what good girl she was. They returned back to the house around six-thirty but Depa couldn’t help but notice that Kanan was quieter than normal.

“Are you okay, honey?” She asked as she sat next to him on the couch.

“Yeah.” Kanan shrugged.

“You know you can tell me anything, okay?” She said and the boy nodded. “And I promise I won’t be mad.” She said.

“You won’t?” He asked.

“I promise.” She said and put her hand over her heart. “With my heart.” She said.

Kanan sighed. “You think my real mommy is mad at me because I’m celebrating Mother’s Day with you?” He asked.

The question took Depa by surprise but she knew Kanan had this kind of doubts since she had adopted him. She took a deep breath and lifted his chin.

“I don’t think your mommy is mad at you, honey.” She said. “I think she’s happy that I adopted you and that you have a new family that loves you very much.”

“You think?” Kanan asked.

“Of course, sweetheart.” Depa said, then, she thought about something. “Come, honey. I’m going to show you something.” She said and took Kanan to the greenhouse that was behind the house.

The boy gasped when he saw all the flowers his mother had. “Wow! They´re pretty!” He said.

“Thank you, sweetie.” Depa said and knelt in front of her son.

“Listen, Caleb.” She said. “When I was a little bit older than you, I lost my mother and I was so sad but your Grandpa Mace told me that as long as I remembered her, she wasn’t truly gone.” She said and looked around the greenhouse. “Every Mother’s Day, I plant a flower to remember her; maybe we can do the same thing for your mommy.”

“Yeah! I’d like that.” Kanan said happily. “You won’t get mad?” He asked.

Depa shook her head. “No, honey. I won’t.” She said.

Kanan gave her a wide smiled and hugged her. “I love you, mommy!” He said.

She smiled and kissed his cheek. “I love you too, Caleb. Never forget that.”

Yep. Definitely, this was the best first Mother’s Day Depa had had.


End file.
